Behind the Beat: No Looking Back

“We’re not a quiet band,” says Bryan Forbes, bassist and backup vocalist for Palmer band The Blue Veins.

Instead, together with fellow members Jacob Watson (guitar, lead vocals), Jamieson Goodwin (lead guitar, backup vocals) and Matt Skowyra (drums, backup vocals), Forbes has helped turn The Blue Veins into a bona fide rock act, capable of bringing the house down with an enthusiastic guitar solo or inspiring spontaneous grooving on a packed dance floor.

“Our sound truly is just an intersecting of our various influences and musical tastes,” he says. “What you hear is what you get, and we’ve never tried to cater to one genre or to limit ourselves to any specific scene for the sake of popularity.”

Adds Goodwin, “We’ve all had very different musical upbringings, which works in conjunction with a very unified musical philosophy to promote our personalities within a musical context.”

In fact, this united approach to making music is represented by the band’s name. “[The name The Blue Veins] came to me in a dream while we were coming up with names,” says Watson. “Everyone liked it, so we kept it. To us it means that we’re all vessels for the collective music we make together.”

Formed in 2009, the band started out by learning loads of cover songs in order to get its foot in the door at local clubs. From there, after noticing an almost immediate chemistry among its members, the group spent the majority of 2011 recording a self-titled debut, which it hopes will act as a blueprint for future recordings.

The record’s opening track, “Blue Dream Number Seven,” sets the template. Beginning with a high-speed drum roll, the song segues into a mid-tempo beat that trades places with alternating rhythmic sections before a wild guitar solo leads the way to the next number. Elsewhere, “Jukehouse Queen” and “Hollywood Hands” betray more blues-inspired leanings. And the unlisted bonus track “Jazz Elephants” is an instrumental freakout that features fellow Valley musician Jonas Cain on squealing saxophone.

“Our music has gone from an amalgamation of influences into a more unique sound,” says Watson. “We focus a lot on having strong melodies and making memorable, interesting songs.”

Next up for The Blue Veins is more writing, recording and playing as the group strives to make a career of creating music.

“We have been composing new songs for the next album, and booking gigs anywhere they will have us,” says Forbes. “Thus far we have played all over the Northeast, including Foxwoods Casino, The Worcester Palladium, The Webster in Connecticut, and many more awesome places. Ultimately, we plan on gaining enough momentum to start touring and doing this full-time.”